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What John Calipari and Kentucky Players Are Saying Ahead of NCAA Tournament

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2 years ago

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John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats' comments as they prepare for the NCAA Tournament.
Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

One of the best events in all of sports is here, March Madness, as the First Four has already kicked off in Dayton. On Thursday, the Kentucky Wildcats will tip off against Oakland Golden Grizzlies, with the hopes of making a deep tournament run.

How are John Calipari and the Wildcats feeling? Confident. Let’s take a look a what they’ve had to say heading into Thursday’s game.

John Calipari

“I think I have a good team, but they’re going to have to go and perform,” Calipari said after seeing Kentucky’s draw on Sunday. That said, he is confident that this season will end on a good note. “Normally, when I have teams like this, the outcome is pretty good.”

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This year’s team is a group that enjoys one another, and is adored by the staff and fans. His message to his team, extend that. “You may never, in all of your basketball career, play on a team like this. Where everyone is for you. Everyone is trying to help you, and you’re trying to help them. Let’s extend it.”

To help extend the season, Calipari has a few “tweaks” in mind, a word he has almost used annually since the surprising run to the total game in the 2013-14 season. “We may have a couple tweaks,” Calipari said, speaking on the defensive end. “I got some things I think I’m gonna have to try and do. So I gotta couple tweaks in mind if a team has guards that just break us down. How about if I put both 7-footers in?”

Calipari also believes there could be a breakout in the NCAA Tournament by Aaron Bradshaw and Zvonimir Ivisic, and have a “couple” good games. “I don’t know when it will be, but you guys will look at me and say, ‘Why wasn’t Cal playing this kid? The same thing with Z.”

Players

For many of the players, this will be the first NCAA Tournament that they play in, something they envisioned growing up. “My favorite memory was definitely that UConn team with Kemba Walker,” Rob Dillingham said, likely not remembering that they beat Kentucky in the Final Four. “That’s similar to what we could do.”

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Coming off an upset loss to Texas A&M, the players sound refocused before they head to Pittsburgh.”We feel confident, honestly,” Dillingham said. “Every time we’ve lost we have come back with a vain. The only thing we should feel is confidence.”

The sentiment was echoed by Antonio Reeves, who has one thing on his mind. “Just coming back with revenge.”

According to Dillingham, the key for the Kentucky Wildcats is to play their own game

“We can’t worry about other teams. We worry about us,” Dillingham said. We watch our highlights. When we play our game, there’s not a lot of teams that can play as good as us. When we play our game, we rarely lose.”

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Sounding confident, Kentucky will open the first round against Oakland on Thursday in Pittsburgh. The game is set for 7:10 p.m. ET and can be seen on CBS.

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Men's Basketball

College Basketball Rankings: Where Kentucky Stands in Updated “way-too-early” Polls

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2 weeks ago

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July 3, 2026

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Where Kentucky basketball stands in ESPN and CBS Sports updated way-too-early rankings after more coaching changes, player additions, and injuries.
UK Athletics

Last offseason, Kentucky was considered a top-10 team and a true title contender, but ended the season as one of the most disappointing teams in the country, winning just one game in the NCAA Tournament.

This offseason, Kentucky is barely cracking the top 15 in most preseason rankings and will look to climb the rankings throughout the season rather than fall.

Still 120+ days out from the start of the regular season, ESPN and CBS Sports have updated their “way-too-early” rankings following Dusty May’s jump from Michigan to the NBA, more player additions for teams, and some early-season-ending injuries.

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The rankings remain fairly static, however, with the Wildcats holding steady in ESPN’s rankings while moving ahead of St. John’s in CBS Sports’ rankings following Donnie Freeman’s Achilles injury.

ESPN

17. Kentucky Wildcats

Previous ranking: 17 (no change)

Impact newcomer: Milan Momcilovic

Momcilovic was the best transfer in the portal, after a season in which he established himself as the best shooter in college basketball. The 6-8 forward withdrew from the NBA draft on the night of the deadline, committing to coach Mark Pope’s team a few days later after also being pursued by Louisville and Arizona. He’s immediately an All-America contender and the most dangerous player on the Wildcats’ roster, after averaging 16.9 points and shooting 48.7% from 3 last season.

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Projected starting lineup

Zoom Diallo (15.7 PPG at Washington)
Alex Wilkins (17.8 PPG at Furman)
Milan Momcilovic (16.9 PPG at Iowa State)
Ousmane N’Diaye (9.8 PPG for Cremona in Serie A)
Malachi Moreno (7.8 PPG)

CBS Sports

16. Kentucky Wildcats

Previous ranking: 17 (⬆️1)

This ranking is based on the Wildcats returning one of the top six scorers — specifically Malachi Moreno — from a team that finished 22-14 and advanced to the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, Washington transfers Zoom Diallo and Franck Kepnang, Washington State transfer Jerone Morton, James Madison transfer Justin McBride, Providence transfer Alex Wilkins, four-star prospect Mason Williams and international prospect Ousmane N’Diaye.

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope Discusses Final Assistant Coach Position, “I’m not in desperate need of adding more pieces”

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2 weeks ago

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July 3, 2026

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Mark Pope isn't rushing to fill Kentucky's final assistant coach opening, saying pending NCAA rules on international players could shift his plans.
UK Athletics

Kentucky basketball has operated this offseason without a full staff. Assistant coaches Alvin Brooks III and Jason Hart left the program back in March, and Mark Pope has only filled one of the two spots since, hiring former NBA All-Star Mo Williams from Jackson State.

Despite that, Kentucky managed to bring in the 3rd ranked transfer class in the country, highlighted by Milan Momcilovic, and have secured a commitment from 2027 five-star Ryan Hampton.

“I like my organization a lot right now. I think this group is functioning at a high level,” Pope said about his staff in an interview with BBN Tonight. “I like the way our staff feels. I like the way we feel in the staff meeting every day. I like the way we’re executing on the road. I like the way we feel on the court right now.”

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With an assistant coach position sitting vacant, Pope is satisfied with how his staff is performing and says there is no urgency in filling the role. Instead, he’s waiting to see how NCAA guidelines and rules unfold in the coming weeks.

“I’m not in desperate need of adding more pieces, although I’m open to the idea,” he said.

“There are going to be a whole host of legal cases from our league testing the CSC and the NCAA on their current guidelines and rules on international players. And depending on what the outcome of those are, it could very much shift the direction we go with hiring.”

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Mark Pope Says Kentucky’s Final Roster Spot Is About Fit, “There’s got to be a very uniquely positioned piece”

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2 weeks ago

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July 3, 2026

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Mark Pope opens up on Kentucky Basketball's final roster spot, emphasizing fit over hype as the Nikola Kusturica recruitment nears a decision.
UK Athletics

Kentucky basketball is wrapping up its third week of practice in an eight-week summer training block. While the players are getting acclimated to Mark Pope’s system and to each other, there is still one roster spot to be filled.

“I am enjoying coaching these guys, but we’re also still really active in recruiting,” Pope said in an interview with BBN Tonight.

One name that Wildcat fans have been keeping a close eye on in recent weeks is Nikola Kusturica, a 17-year-old prospect from Serbia, who is currently playing for FC Barcelona and is a projected lottery pick in the 2028 NBA Draft. His recruitment is down to Kentucky and UCLA, with the latter having the momentum and a decision expected soon.

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Whoever the final roster piece will be, Pope emphasizes that they must fit with the other 14 players on the roster.

“Where we are with our roster, there’s got to be a very uniquely positioned piece that fits,” he said.

“There are several different archetypes of piece that would fit this roster really well, but there’s also a lot of guys who are popping up as available or have been available for a little while who don’t turn out to be the fit that’s going to work for this team.”

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